Small agricultural robots are the future
According to the English robot professor and agricultural expert, Simon Blackmore, small robots are the way forward in agriculture. But first we must learn how to collaborate across trade groups. The Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Eva Kjer Hansen, agreed with Blackmore at the conference Greens Robots in Odense. The conference was organized by RoboDays.
- The message that I want
to send today is that we must cooperate more on the development of
agricultural robots. So when we have a robot to sow, we must also
have a robot to spray and one to harvest. That will open up a lot
of opportunities in the future, Simon Blackmore said.
For Simon Blackmore, who is considered one of the most
experienced forces in the development of robotics to agriculture,
the conference was a welcomed opportunity to get more people
interested in development of green robotics.
Simon Blackmore, who at the conference featured the Danish
agricultural robots as some of the leading in the world, said:
- I am here to encourage people to talk to each other and find
common ground. 
Many robots are being
developed by researchers around Europe, and I would like them to
cooperate. The possibilities are endless when it comes to
developing robots for agriculture. And this is just the beginning.
We have already developed some prototypes, but we need to pave the
way to new mechanical systems based on smart small agricultural
machinery. It is the way forward.
Political and financial support
The Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Eva
Kjer Hansen, also spoke at the conference:
- I think the conference is a great initiative, and we will
achieve a synergistic effect by unifying people with different
backgrounds. We need to develop the robot technology further, so it
can help us resolve some of the major challenges we face in
agriculture. Therefore, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and
Fisheries support initiatives like these and I am delighted that we
have set aside money to spend on this field.
The conference ended with a workshop which was entirely
consistent with the idea behind Agrobotic, who arranged the
conference. The intention of the conference was for the
participants to use each other in an active network and development
platform.
Further Information
Majken Kramer Overgaard
Project Manager in RoboDays
T +45 6011 2742
majken.overgaard@robocluster.dk